Despite being home to nearly 1,000 threatened animal species, Queensland has one of the smallest percentages of land listed as national park in Australia.

Although the Queensland Government has committed to ensuring that 17 per cent of the state is covered by environmental protection by 2021, conservationists argue that these areas need to additionally be protected against resource extraction.

Martin Taylor, a conservation scientist with the World Wildlife Fund, said even in a suburban nature reserve you can find up to 200 species of birds.

But he is more concerned about large swathes of unprotected land like the Brigalow Belt, which extends over millions of hectares from Townsville in north Queensland, right down to the New South Wales border.

“There’s a host of reptiles that are endemic there — only found in the Brigalow Belt. There’s a butterfly that’s only found in the Brigalow Belt that’s endangered.